Bakugan City is in high spirits. It has been a little over a week since the attack of the Cyber Bakugan. Due to the efforts of the Marukura Company, the city is being renovated, and rebuilt to get back what was lost in the attack. With the combined work of humans and Bakugan, most of the city ruins have been removed, and mended, bringing life back to the bustling city.
The restoration of the city isn't the only thing that has put the city and its people in such a grand mood.
After the renovations of the stadium were completed, the very second the workers gave the green light for use, Marucho sent out a live broadcast for everyone to see. He announces an expedition match as a way to lighten everyone's morale after such an attack, with another agenda he has made known to the public yet.
The days leading up to the match was radio silent. Nothing was heard about the match, besides the time and date. People were able to purchase tickets, while others are happy to watch from their homes.
On the day of the event, news crews and reporters are clambering at the doors to Marucho's office, begging for an exclusive on the fight, and the purpose behind it all. None have been so lucky as to get the exclusive, except for one.
While Marucho gets himself ready in his office, Julie is having a fit at him. She too has been left in the dark.
"But Marucho! How can I provide colourful, delightful, and such passionate commentary, if you won't tell me anything about this fight?" She is distressed over the matter. While Gorem is at her side, with her current state, his attempts to console or calm her down are moot.
"Sorry, Julie. But you're a chatterbox. If I tell you now, you'll just blab. So you're only getting the full deet's when you take the stand on the podium," Marucho has put the effort into his look, putting on a nice suit with an aqua blue tie.
His trio of partners hover over him while he readies himself. Julie is getting desperate and decides to plead with them for help.
"Preyas! Elfin! Twister! Will one of you put him right and just tell me? Please!"
Preyas stones wall her, "Sorry toots. Marucho has asked me to put a zip on it. And then Elfin did too. Sooo, my hands are tied on this."
"You see babes, this is meant to be a surprise to boost the morale of the city. Can't get the most of it if everyone knows already, you dig?" Elfin interjects, giving her two pence.
Twister leans over to Marucho and whispers something in his ear. He smiles and nods. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a piece of paper and writes something.
"How about this? I'll give you this note as a spoiler, and then you do with it as you will. Fair?"
Julie jumps at the chance, so she accepts. Reaching her hand out, she is ready to take it.
Marucho folds the note, and hands her the piece of paper, before mushing her out of the room, and into the horde of reporters before shutting the door behind her. She swiftly combed through the crowd, and out the other end, none of them noticing the note she had in her hand.
While this all is going down, a monotone voice calls out over the speaker. "The expedition match will begin in 15 minutes. Will all audience members please take their seats?"
Needing to set up their equipment to record the match, and thinking they could get the scoop first, the reporters peel off, leaving poor Julie on the floor with a bewildered look.
"Hmft. Lousy Marucho. Only giving me scraps," she looks at the note in her hand. "This better be a big clue, or I'm gonna flip." Opening the note hoping to find her clue, all she gets is one number. "6? 6! What kind of hint is that?" She crumples the note. "To hell with it. Come on Gorem. Even with this, I swear I'll give the best damn commentary of my life!"
With ten minutes left, she takes her place at the podium. True to Marucho's word, there's another note left for her. This one is hidden underneath the console, only found by Gorem as the podium rises. She opens this note and reads it in her head. The more she reads, the wider her eyes get. She can't keep her mouth closed as her gasp comes out like a musical note. The prior note makes more sense to her now.
The countdown gets closer to the start of the event. Cameras and news outlets are all set up, ready to broadcast this special occasion for all to see. By Marucho's request, the broadcast is meant to be shared from outside of Bakugan City. Reaching everyone, from a wooden shack in the mountains, the dojo of a stoic ninja, to a wandering drifter and their ever-evolving partner. The broadcast is enhanced through their technology, able to travel to other worlds, Vestal, Neathia, and Gundalia.
With the preparations met, and the countdown at zero, it's time to begin.
Julie rises above everyone in the stadium. There's not an empty seat in the house. Squeezing the microphone in her hand with a vice-like grip, she begins.
"Hello~! Bakugan City! Are you having a good day? Are you ready for some serious Bakugan Brawling action?!" Her words are met with cheers from the audience. Not a single person wants to miss this. "Well good. Because now that I know what's going on, I can safely say, this will be fight worth its ticket entry, and some."
Two spotlights appear on two opposite sides of the stadium. A red light, and a purple light. This gets the crowd going. If they weren't cheering before, they are now.
"That's right. If you know what those lights mean, then you'd be right. We've got some familiar faces here today. Our tournament champion and runner-up have come to settle the score…maybe."
As Julie speaks four more lights appear on the stadium. A brown and yellow light with the red, and a blue and green light with the purple.
"Tonight won't be just any battle. No! Tonight…," the lights go out as the platforms rise from the sides of the stadium. "We've got a team battle! Three brawlers on either side will take each other on in a random 1-on-1 battle!"
The crowd erupts in a roar of applause as the two teams rise from below. On the right side, Caleb leads a team with Luci and Queen. On the left, Jayden leads Micky and Mei Fan as a part of his team.
With the teams revealed, and the game announced, the new Battle Brawlers stand in attention, some basking in the glow of the praise and admiration coming their way.
Caleb reviles in it. Completely in his element, it feels like a call back to his tournament days from years back. "Never gets old, does it, Leo?" "No. Those were different days, but the rush of a good fight can never be forgotten."
Luci is a little shy, blushing at everyone staring her way. Renarde tries to calm her down, "My Lady, please. They are cheering for you." "I know, I'm just not used to it. Even back home it felt weird."
Queen uses the time to pick a fight with anyone and everyone standing around in the stadium. "Oh yeah, just be ready. You'll know what I'm made of soon." "What we're made of. Don't count me out on this praise."
Micky is just chill. He has no feelings one way or another but is polite enough to wave back with Triton. "They seem nice."
Mei Fan is expressionless as ever, although inside she is just as bad as Luci. "I need to make good out of this. I don't want to betray Master Marucho's trust in me."
Jayden ignores it all, and just stares straight, his eyes occasionally meeting with Caleb. "Looks like we've got a 1 in 3 chance to battle with Leonidas again." "That's not too bad. It's more like a 2 in 3 chance to fight someone I'd want to. Just as long as I'm not the one to fight Luci, I'm happy. I won't live it down if I was."
A visual of the Brawlers appears on the monitor behind Julie. "Okay, y'all! Time to decide the fights. Maybe we'll get lucky and have our rematch. Or maybe we'll be surprised with something new. Regardless, I know they'll give it their all. Now spin it!"
The visual takes the shape of two spinning wheels. The wheels are split into three pieces with a Brawler's name. They spin at the same time before slowing down, ready to call out the first fight.